Probe of Pat Quinn's anti-violence program stirs governor's race

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By SOPHIA TAREEN, Associated Press

Journal Star

By SOPHIA TAREEN, Associated Press

Posted Apr. 30, 2014 at 12:45 PM

By SOPHIA TAREEN, Associated Press

Posted Apr. 30, 2014 at 12:45 PM

CHICAGO — A new probe into Gov. Pat Quinn's troubled neighborhood anti-violence program created fresh problems for the Chicago Democrat's re-election on Wednesday as his Republican rival appeared in the state's capital and accused him of misleading voters.

Quinn's administration confirmed Tuesday that Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's office subpoenaed records related to the $55 million Neighborhood Recovery Initiative Program, which state auditors earlier this year said had "pervasive" problems with management and spending. The probe comes in addition to a federal lawsuit alleging wrongful hiring practices in Quinn's Department of Transportation.

Both issues have shaken the Illinois gubernatorial race, expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive nationwide. Republican Businessman Bruce Rauner, who portrays himself as an outsider who'll clean up Springfield, has tried to link Democrat Quinn to his imprisoned predecessor Rod Blagojevich.

"Pat Quinn will say one thing and do another," Rauner told reporters in Springfield after delivering signatures for his term limits ballot initiative. It "looks like the whole thing was more of a slush fund for electoral politics than it was truly to serve the people of the state."

Quinn has defended his record on the program.

"While there is no doubt that Governor Quinn inherited an ethical crisis from two corrupt governors in a row, everyone knows he has been cleaning up state government since the day he arrived and always works to root out any problems whenever they should arise," said Quinn campaign spokeswoman Izabela Miltko.

Earlier this year, a state audit detailed issues with "pervasive deficiencies" in implementing the initiative, along with sloppy and missing paperwork. The report questioned about 40 percent of the expenditures by service providers. The Chicago Sun-Times, which first reported the subpoenaed records, has also detailed that tens of thousands of dollars earmarked for the program was paid to Benton Cook, the husband of Democratic Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown. Benton Cook worked as a program coordinator but has said he didn't receive that much money.

Republicans called for an investigation into the Chicago anti-violence program Quinn created in 2010 after city pastors asked him to help fight urban violence. The timing, weeks before the November election, prompted critics to argue it was an attempt to woo voters before he won election by a thin margin.

Republican state Sen. Jason Barickman was among those calling for a probe. He applauded the efforts.

"This represents tens of millions of taxpayer dollars that was used as a political slush fund," Barickman said in a statement. "This blatant fraud and abuse has to be stopped, and those responsible need to be held accountable in a criminal court."

The subpoenas asked for memos related to the program from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which oversees community grants. Spokesman Dave Roeder said more than 1,000 pages were turned over, including for the Chicago Area Project which targeted a neighborhood on Chicago's West Side.

Page 2 of 2 - "We have no tolerance for any fraud or misbehavior on the part of grantees," Roeder said. "We're responding to any requests for information on this."

The anti-violence initiative was run by the now-defunct Illinois Violence Prevention Authority, which relied in part on recommendations from Chicago aldermen when choosing community agencies to run programs. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority took over the Violence Prevention Authority last year.

Quinn has said he addressed issues ahead of the audit. Still, the timing hasn't been ideal for Quinn.

Last week, Chicago attorney Michael Shakman, whose decades long court case has led to bans on political hiring in the Chicago area, filed a complaint alleging hiring problems at IDOT.

The complaint alleged practices that began under Blagojevich, who is now imprisoned for corruption, continued into Quinn's tenure — including reclassifying positions so they'd be exempt from state hiring rules and politics could be considered. This week in court, an attorney for Quinn's administration publicly acknowledged an ongoing investigation by Illinois' inspector general of hiring practices.

Quinn has said he ordered an audit last summer and is addressing issues.